CCBC-Net Archives
The Tale of Despereaux
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 10:11:08 -0500
Okay, I'll jump in (not being one of those recovering after days of conventioneering!).
I have not been shy in voicing my admiration for this book since I first read it last summer. I was convinced then that it was award-worthy and am thrilled to have my instincts confirmed by this year's Newbery Committee.
I read it to my fourth grade class last fall and it was an immediate hit. I brought in a little mouse puppet and he is still a terribly important member of our class (now with an itty-bitty Newbery Medal on red thread around his neck). As we came to the end, the children asked me to slow down; they did not want the story to be over. There is a timeless quality to the story; at times it reminded me a bit of the also-timeless (but sadly out-of-print) story by James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks, in terms of the wit and language play.
Although I read it months ago, the book still reverberates in my classroom. "Such the disappointment" has become a popular expression of ours and last week a child was showing us a book of nature photos and we all called out "Despereaux" when a tiny mouse with big ears appeared. Yesterday, I read a student's story in which he addresses his audience as
"dear reader" and this morning I used the book to show how paragraphs can be used for dramatic and stylistic effect.
A few weeks ago a fourth grade colleague who was reading the book aloud to her class asked me when it had been written. One of her student's father died in the WTC and the teacher's brother, also in the buildings that day, was more fortunate and survived. Because of this she had felt something in DiCamillo's book that made her think of that day and of the issues surrounding it --- of vengeance and redemption, of love and forgiveness. It seems to me that DiCamillo has succeeded, in her wonderful book, to create a complex emotional depth along with a mix of wry humor, gorgeous language, original characters, and compelling story.
Thank you to Kate DiCamillo for this wonderful addition to the world of children's literature and to the Newbery Committee for recognizing its excellence.
Monica
Monica Endanger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Tue 13 Jan 2004 09:11:08 AM CST
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 10:11:08 -0500
Okay, I'll jump in (not being one of those recovering after days of conventioneering!).
I have not been shy in voicing my admiration for this book since I first read it last summer. I was convinced then that it was award-worthy and am thrilled to have my instincts confirmed by this year's Newbery Committee.
I read it to my fourth grade class last fall and it was an immediate hit. I brought in a little mouse puppet and he is still a terribly important member of our class (now with an itty-bitty Newbery Medal on red thread around his neck). As we came to the end, the children asked me to slow down; they did not want the story to be over. There is a timeless quality to the story; at times it reminded me a bit of the also-timeless (but sadly out-of-print) story by James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks, in terms of the wit and language play.
Although I read it months ago, the book still reverberates in my classroom. "Such the disappointment" has become a popular expression of ours and last week a child was showing us a book of nature photos and we all called out "Despereaux" when a tiny mouse with big ears appeared. Yesterday, I read a student's story in which he addresses his audience as
"dear reader" and this morning I used the book to show how paragraphs can be used for dramatic and stylistic effect.
A few weeks ago a fourth grade colleague who was reading the book aloud to her class asked me when it had been written. One of her student's father died in the WTC and the teacher's brother, also in the buildings that day, was more fortunate and survived. Because of this she had felt something in DiCamillo's book that made her think of that day and of the issues surrounding it --- of vengeance and redemption, of love and forgiveness. It seems to me that DiCamillo has succeeded, in her wonderful book, to create a complex emotional depth along with a mix of wry humor, gorgeous language, original characters, and compelling story.
Thank you to Kate DiCamillo for this wonderful addition to the world of children's literature and to the Newbery Committee for recognizing its excellence.
Monica
Monica Endanger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Tue 13 Jan 2004 09:11:08 AM CST
